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Press releases Special Procedures
Iraq: "Immediate action needed to protect human rights of Yazidis in grave danger" – UN experts
Iraq / Yazidis: "Action needed"
12 August 2014
GENEVA (12 August 2014) – A group of United Nations human rights experts today expressed their grave concern at the imminent danger of massacre faced by the Yazidi population forced to flee Sinjar in northern Iraq and other minority communities currently exposed to attacks by members of the 'Islamic State' (IS, (formerly known as ISIS).
The experts on the rights of minorities, internal displacement, summary executions, freedom of religion, violence against women and discrimination against women called for immediate action to protect the human rights of Yazidis and other affected communities, including the fundamental right to life.
"All possible measures must be taken urgently to avoid a mass atrocity and potential genocide within days or hours – civilians need to be protected on the ground and escorted out of situations of extreme peril," urged the Special Rapporteur on minority issues, Rita Izsák.
Ms. Izsák cautioned that "the responsibility to protect populations at risk of atrocity crimes falls both on the Iraqi Government and the international community."
"We are witnessing a tragedy of huge proportions unfolding in which thousands of people are at immediate risk of death by violence or by hunger and thirst," warned the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons, Chaloka Beyani. "Humanitarian aid must be delivered quickly and no efforts should be spared to protect all groups forcefully displaced by this conflict," he added.
The UN has received verified reports that 'IS' is systematically hunting down members of minority groups who remain trapped in areas under their control and giving them the ultimatum, "convert or die," stated Christof Heyns, Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions. "We cannot stand by in the face of such atrocities. International actors must do all in their power to support those on the ground with the capacity to protect lives."
The situation has continued deteriorating rapidly and at present thousands of members of the Yazidi community are trapped on Mount Sinjar, threatened with death by the IS and without access to food and water.
"Freedom of religion and belief is being denied in the most gross and systematic way possible – through the attempted extermination of religious minorities." The Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion and belief, Heiner Bielefeldt," said.
"We have reports of women being executed and unverified reports that strongly suggest that hundreds of women and children have been kidnapped – many of the teenagers have been sexually assaulted, and women have been assigned or sold to 'IS' fighters as 'malak yamiin' or slaves," said the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, Rashida Manjoo.
"Such violations are crimes against humanity that must be stopped and punished," Ms. Manjoo underscored.
Despite hundreds being helped to relative safety by Kurdish and Iraqi forces, around 40,000 Yazidis reportedly remain hiding in a mountainous region of Sinjar, in the northwest of Iraq, where they took refuge escaping from the Islamic State which has threatened them with death.
Forty Yazidi displaced children died last week due to dehydration, according to UNICEF. Over the past weeks an estimated 250,000 members of religious minorities have been forced to flee their homes escaping from the advance of 'IS' and associated armed groups, accused of gross human rights violations which could amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The United Nations human rights experts are part of what it is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights, is the general name of the independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms of the Human Rights Council that address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world.
They are charged by the Human Rights Council to monitor, report and advise on human rights issues. Currently, there are 37 thematic mandates and 14 mandates related to countries and territories, with 72 mandate holders. Three new mandates were added in March 2014. The experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent from any government or organization and serve in their individual capacity. Log on to: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/SP/Pages/Welcomepage.aspx
Learn more, visit:
Minority issues: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Minorities/IExpert/Pages/IEminorityissuesIndex.aspx
Freedom of religion: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/FreedomReligion/Pages/FreedomReligionIndex.aspx
Internally displaced persons: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/IDPersons/Pages/IDPersonsIndex.aspx
Summary executions: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Executions/Pages/SRExecutionsIndex.aspx
Violence against women: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Women/SRWomen/Pages/SRWomenIndex.aspx
Working Group on the issue of discrimination against women in law and in practice: http://www.ohchr.org/en/issues/women/wgwomen/pages/wgwomenindex.aspx
UN Human Rights, Country Page – Iraq: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/countries/MENARegion/Pages/IQIndex.aspx
For more information and media requests please contact Graham Fox (+41 22 917 9640 / [email protected]) or write to [email protected]
For media inquiries related to other UN mandates:
Xabier Celaya, UN Human Rights – Media Unit (+ 41 22 917 9383 / [email protected])
UN Human Rights, follow us on social media:
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Storify: http://storify.com/UNrightswire
Check the Universal Human Rights Index: http://uhri.ohchr.org/en


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The Most Important Fight for the Second Amendment
January 18, 2018
We all know that the court battles over the Second Amendment are often some of the most important fights that we can wage as gun owners and activists. In states such as California, New York, Illinois, and Connecticut, legal challenges are often the only method of recourse for gun owners that have been hammered with laws and regulations by anti-gun Legislatures and Governors.
The Hill: Gun Control Advocates See Opportunities in States
January 18, 2018
Advocates of stricter restrictions on gun ownership believe they can notch new wins in state legislatures across the country this year, after Republicans in some states signaled they would be willing to break with the National Rifle Association (NRA) to support some new rules.
Guns.com: Delaware Lawmakers Announce 'Beau Biden' Gun Control Act
January 18, 2018
"This legislation will protect our communities by restricting access to firearms for those who are considered a danger to themselves or others," said Gov. John Carney
American Handgunner: Do We Need New Gun Laws?
January 18, 2018
Ask the average gun buff if we need new gun laws and the knee-jerk reaction is, "Not just no, but hell no!" That's followed up with, "What part of 'Shall not be infringed' don't you understand? All those gun laws on the books are illegal and should be repealed!" Let's just think about that.
Fox News: California Zoning Law Banning Gun Shops is Challenged in Supreme Court Filing
January 18, 2018
Gun rights groups have filed a petition with the Supreme Court in the hopes that it would consider a controversial appeals court decision that limits where gun stores can open within one county in California.
WBFO: Pastor Encourages Guns in Church
January 16, 2018
When the parishioners at one Oswego County church gather for worship each week, many of them are armed - and it's no secret. The Lighthouse Mexico Church of God even advertises that its not a gun-free zone, a response to the frequent mass shootings in the country that are the subject of some debate.
Guns.com: Virginia Senate Sinks New Governor's Gun Control Agenda Early
January 16, 2018
The Republican-controlled Senate Courts of Justice Committee met for over three hours in their first workday of the session Monday and quickly disposed of several measures in party-line votes including one on universal background checks and another to seize guns from those deemed at risk.
Baltimore Sun: Some Maryland Patients Will Face a Choice Between Medical Marijuana or Their Gun
January 16, 2018
Now that medical marijuana is legally available in Maryland, some who want to use the drug to manage health problems face a dilemma: To get the pot, they surrender their right to own a gun.
East Bay Times: US Supreme Court Asked to Review East Bay Gun Shop Case
January 16, 2018
The United States Supreme Court was asked to review a local case regarding Alameda County barring a gun shop from opening in San Lorenzo.
OneNewsNow: Gun-Rights Groups Fight CA County
January 16, 2018
Alan Gottlieb of the Second Amendment Foundation says SAF is fighting an Alameda County ordinance that uses zoning laws to keep out firearms stores.
Bakersfield.com: New California Ammo Law Generally Panned by Local Firearms Retailers
January 16, 2018
California's new law placing restrictions on the sale and purchase of ammunition is drawing some gripes from local merchants and their customers. They say the new rules will limit access and raises prices.
Summit Daily: I'm a Hunter, and I Want Gun Control
January 13, 2018
It's general deer and elk season in Montana, or open rifle, as it's sometimes called. I spent the weekend miles from cell and internet reception, walking through the mountains in search of deer and elk, a rifle strapped to my shoulder. Part of the appeal of hunting is the idea that you've escaped from civilization, but that notion can be dangerous if you forget you're still part of the world.
Breitbart: Incoming Virginia Governor Says Banning Private Gun Sales a Priority for 2018
January 13, 2018
Incoming Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) indicates that banning private gun sales in the state will be a priority for 2018. In other words, he will continue to pursue the gun controls that outgoing Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) pursued but failed to secure.
Daily Beast: Will This Smart Gun Solve America's Gun Problem?
January 12, 2018
A trio of Brooklyn engineering students think they've figured out how to make firearms safe.
CA Legislature Back in Session, Kills Pro-Gun Bills
January 10, 2018
The California Legislature is back in session and that means bad news for California gun owners! Both the Assembly and Senate Public Safety Committees held hearings yesterday and voted on multiple 2A related bills.
Washington Free Beacon: Gun-Rights Groups Ask Supreme Court to Review Case Against California County's Gun Store Ban
January 10, 2018
Lawyers for a coalition of gun-rights groups petitioned the Supreme Court on Tuesday to take up their case against a California county's ban on gun stores.
Honolulu Star Advertiser: Honolulu Police Tell Legal Marijuana Users to Turn in Their Firearms
January 10, 2018
The Honolulu Police Department has told legal marijuana users who own guns that they must turn in their weapons within 30 days.
Guns.com: New Jersey Lawmakers Send Bump Stock Ban, 'Buyback' Plan to Christie for Signature
January 10, 2018
A measure gun rights advocates say is unneeded will soon land on Republican Gov. Chris Christie's desk alongside a bill to put the state in the gun "buyback" business.
Reason Magazine: Kamala Harris Now on Senate Judiciary Committee Which Means Bad News for Second Amendment
January 10, 2018
Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) was named to the Senate Judiciary Committee today. What might that mean moving forward for the Senate's attitude toward potential legislation affecting the Second Amendment? Nothing great.
Why Some "Featureless" Guns Might Need to be Registered as "Assault Weapons" in California
January 09, 2018
Some currently-"featureless" firearms might still need to be registered under California's "assault weapons" law. Like everything else about gun laws, "it's complicated".
Desert Sun: Want to Carry a Gun in Riverside County? You Have to Wait 2 Years Just to be Considered
January 09, 2018
It was the summer of 2016 when Steve Perkio, a retired construction worker with a love for the outdoors, walked into the Riverside County Sheriff's Department headquarters with his paperwork in hand. Perkio planned to spend much of his retirement camping in the rural wilderness, where he would often be isolated and alone, so he figured it was wise for him to start carrying a gun for protection.
The Daily Signal: Here Are the 5 Worst 'Fake News' Reports on Guns in 2017
January 08, 2018
President Donald Trump and the Republican-controlled Congress are strongly pro-Second Amendment, which means new gun control laws were dead on arrival in 2017. But the mainstream media, not to be quietly defeated, exposed its anti-gun bias more than ever this year.
Breitbart: Freedom-Starved Iranians Wish They Had a Second Amendment
January 08, 2018
As we watch freedom-starved Iranians stand against an extremist regime bent on retaining power, it is a safe bet that Iran's rank and file would benefit from a Second Amendment.
Miami New Times: North Miami Beach Pays $12,000 Settlement, Changes Codes After Lawsuit From Gun Store
January 08, 2018
For nearly five decades, the law in North Miami Beach has been clear: If you want to open a gun store, you must set up shop in the industrial areas of the city.

subset: commoncrawl


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I've read a lot on both sides of the debate of low carb vs low fat diets trying to make some sense of what is being proposed. The lipid hypothesis runs roughly along the lines that we have lots of observational epidemiological evidence that eating a high fat diet correlates heart disease/obesity/enter disease of choice.
An alternative hypothesis is that high carbohydrate diets cause these things. Since the studies haven't been done, there is not the correlation to point to. This hypothesis is believable (to some people) due to the well-understood biological pathway: Carbohydrates turn to glucose, which causes an insulin release, and insulin regulates fat storage, so high carbohydrate diets lead to weight gain (see a biochemsitry textbook for a more detailed explanation).
My question is: Does the lipid hypothesis have any biological pathway for which there could be proposed a causal relation rather than just a correlation? Of all the speakers/writers on this topic, the low carb advocates always clearly describe the causal relation, whereas the low fat advocates never say why eating fat should cause weight gain.
Note: I'm not interested in discussing the merits of the studies, but rather the proposed causal mechanism.


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The Amazon River is a special place. Each year, during annual floods, the river rises more than 30 feet ― inundating the surrounding forest in many areas. The tops of rainforest trees just clear the river's surface and shorter vegetation is completely underwater. Trees and other plants growing in these temporary "flooded forests" are adapted to fluctuating water levels, and for the most part survive these floods.
With tens of thousands of square miles of seasonally submerged forests, it is not surprising to learn there are fish in the Amazon that get their food directly from the forest, rather than from the river. A famous example is the tambaqui, a large 60-pound cousin of the piranha.
Few species of fish are herbivores (eating primarily plant material). The tambaqui is not only an herbivore, but one specialized to eat terrestrial fruits and seeds. It has crushing molar-like teeth and a keen sense of smell, attributes that allow it to exploit the spoils of the flooded forest.
You don't need to go to the Amazon to find an aquatic food web supported by plant material grown on land. In our region, fish and the pelagic (dwelling in the water column) and benthic (dwelling on the bottom) animals that fish consume (such as zooplankton, benthic worms and insect larvae) depend heavily on food from the surrounding watershed.
In grade school many of us had a closed-top aquarium that had some plants, a few snails, other invertebrates and a fish. We were taught that this ecosystem was "self contained." Photosynthesis from the plants fed the invertebrates (primary consumers), the invertebrates fed the fish (secondary consumers) and waste products generated by the consumers returned nutrients and carbon dioxide back to growing plants.
That a schoolroom aquarium can be self-sustaining does not imply lakes and rivers actually function this way. Aquatic ecosystems are not self-contained, but intricately connected to adjacent lands.
The lion's share (more than 90 percent) of the organic matter in the Hudson River comes from the landscape surrounding the river, rather than from plants and algae that live in the river. This terrestrially derived material is not directly available to the fish. When it enters the river, it is first utilized by bacteria and invertebrates; then fish consume these members of the river's food web.
Plant matter produced on land is chemically distinct from aquatic vegetation and algae in several ways. One of these differences is in the isotopic composition of the plant materials. By measuring carbon, nitrogen and hydrogen isotopes, scientists can determine if organic matter originated on land or in the water.
By following these isotopes into the food web, we can determine what fraction of a worm, a crayfish, or a fish was ultimately supported by terrestrial versus aquatic photosynthesis. Scientists at the Cary Institute are studying the Hudson River's food web using these isotopes. Preliminary data suggest at least 30 percent, maybe more than 50 percent, of the biomass of common fishes is supported by terrestrially grown vegetation. Another study by Cary Institute scientists conducted in lakes in Northern Michigan had very similar results.
What does this mean? For one thing, we can't understand the aquatic food webs, or the status of fish populations, without taking the surrounding watershed into consideration. In a very real sense, a large percentage of Hudson River fish are made from maple leaves.
Fish in our region are not specialized like the Amazonian tambaqui, with adaptations to consume terrestrial material directly. Rather, the entire food web that supports Hudson River fish is subsidized by large inputs of organic matter from land. The material is first shredded and used by small organisms and only later by the larger fish we might catch on a Sunday afternoon.
To catch a tambaqui, fishermen use lures resembling fruits or nuts; I do not recommend this method in the Hudson. But the next time you go fishing, it is worth pondering how much of your bass' organic matter came from the forest, and what portion came from the plants and algae in the river. You, too, are likely feeding on maple leaves.


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Around the island are several large grounded icebergs. These behemoths are chunks of ice shelf that have broken off and found their way to this island where the shallower water trapped them. Only 10% of the iceberg is showing, 90% is underwater. To learn more about Adelie Penguins go to www.penguinscience.com.
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Postcards from the Field: Adelie Penguins 2008
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(Reuters) – For the first time, individuals and companies that do not themselves make anything – commonly known as "patent trolls" – are bringing the majority of U.S. patent lawsuits, according to a study by a California law professor.
The sharp increase in this type of lawsuit serves as a milestone likely to exacerbate the tension over patent issues and increase calls for patent reform and scrutiny of the system.
This year, about 61 percent of all patent lawsuits filed through Dec. 1 were brought by patent-assertion entities, or individuals and companies that work aggressively and opportunistically to assert patents as a business model rather than build their own technology, according to a paper by Colleen Chien, a law professor at Santa Clara University.
That compares with 45 percent in 2011 and 23 percent five years ago.
"It's pretty dramatic," Chien told Reuters via email. "It means more suits are being brought by entities that don't make anything than those that do."
Chien also spoke on the matter on Monday at a patent workshop held by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice.
Increasingly, the lawsuits are hitting startups.
About 35 percent of startups that have raised $50 million to $100 million have been sued on a patent, Chien said, as have 20 percent of the companies that have raised $20 million to $50 million.
Many patent demands are settled before reaching the lawsuit stage. Estimates on the ratio of demands to lawsuits run between 100:1 to 307:1, Chien said.
Many in Silicon Valley deride patent-assertion entities as "patent trolls." The unflattering nickname arose because of their habit of suddenly demanding licensing fees from unsuspecting businesses, much like mythical trolls that lie in wait under bridges to extract tolls from travelers.
But even if others perceive them as trolls, many patent litigants who do not make products or develop technology think of themselves in a better light. Many of them represent inventors, sometimes university researchers, who often cannot afford to defend patents on their own.
Many technology companies are eager for reforms that would make it harder to assert patents. Some would like to see the cost of asserting patents rise, for example. Many patent holders sue based on contingency, meaning they pay only if they win an award.
But technology companies also frequently sue each other over patents. One of the higher-profile cases involves Apple Inc's fight with Samsung Electronics Co Ltd.
In August, a U.S. jury found the Korean company had copied critical features of the hugely popular iPhone and iPad and awarded the U.S. company $1.05 billion in damages.
(By Sarah McBride)
Image Credit: Shutterstock.com


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Digitech's team draws on a wide breadth of corporate and start-up experience to devise unique solutions for complex problems.
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The Winterville site complex consists of flat-topped, rectangular ceremonial mounds of various sizes. The mounds are arranged around a 43-acre plaza, at the center of which is the 55-foot-high Mound A, the largest at the site. There are no extensive village remains, indicating that the site was occupied mainly during ceremonies. It is likely that only members of the social elite, such as chiefs, priests, and their retainers, were permanent residents of the site. Of the 23 mounds originally present, four were destroyed and several others reduced to remnants by agriculture and excessive grazing prior to the site's acquisition as a state park. Nevertheless, this mound group remains one of the largest and best-preserved in the southeastern United States. In recognition of its outstanding significance, the Winterville site has been designated a National Historic Landmark.
Most of the mounds at the Winterville site were constructed during the Mississippian period, between 1200 and 1250 A.D. This intensive time of mound building reflects contact between local Indians of the Coles Creek culture and influences emanating from the great Cahokia site in Illinois, the largest mound center in the United States. Archeological excavations were conducted at Winterville in 1967-1968. The finds included structural remains, burials, and many ceramic and stone artifacts. From this evidence, the history of the site was reconstructed. The Winterville museum exhibits a large collection of archeological artifacts, including decorated pottery vessels, stone tools, and ornaments from Winterville and other regional sites.
Winterville Site is located on State Hwy 1, about six miles north of Greenville, Mississippi. The museum is open Monday-Saturday 9:00am to 5:00pm; Sunday 1:30pm to 5:00pm. The mounds are open every day, dawn to dusk. Call 662-334-4684 or email the mounds directly for further information.
Mounds | Main Map | List of Sites | Learn More | Itineraries | NR Home | Next Site
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Reconstruction after the Civil War...
Reconstruction after the Civil War...
Item # 587064
June 21, 1865
THE NEW YORK HERALD, June 21, 1865
* Post Civil War South
* Freed slaves
The first column on the ftpg. has some nice heads on Reconstruction efforts in the South, including: "SOUTH CAROLINA" "The Views of the Members on Reconstruction" "The Status of the Negro as a Freedman" "Admiral Dahlgren's Farewell to His Squadron" "Mortality Among the Blacks" with the related text taking over half the front page.
Eight pages, nice condition.
Category: Yankee


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Thanks to Teddy P. for sending in this Brett Favre Auto he pulled from his purchase of a 2009 Certified Football Hobby Box.
Hey guys,
I have been collecting baseball cards my whole life, but I recently purchased a box of 09 Certified Football from your website because I read your reviews and it seemed like it would be a fun mix of veteran players and rookie prospects
Well I just wanted to share with you my biggest hit to date…after pulling a Tom Brady Jersey #'d /24, I thought I was done with the box, until 3 packs later when I pulled a Brett Favre Mirror Gold auto #'d /10! (scan attached)
I know its not the greatest pull in the world, but one sold for $400 last week and people have been going insane for his first Vikings auto so I thought I'd share it with you…thanks so much, you guys are the best!
Thanks Teddy, and Congrats on the Favre Auto!
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This is a refreshing salad with an amazing combo of sweet, juicy cantaloupe, intriguing spicy smoky chorizo, and distinctly peppery rocket salad, dressed simply with olive oil.
Cantaloupe Ribbons and Chorizo Salad
inspired by My Recipes
- Heat a small skillet over medium heat. Add the chorizo slices and cook for 1-2 minutes or until the slices are crispy. Let cool, then break into small pieces.
- Shave off ribbons of cantaloupe, using a vegetable peeler or mandoline. Arrange arugula leaves and cantaloupe ribbons on two serving plates. Sprinkle the chorizo and crushed pink peppers over. Drizzle olive oil over salads.


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Aaron McGruder's last season of The Boondocks is firing on all pistons--it seems that Brother McGruder is indeed leaving it all on the dance floor as the old expression goes. As I alluded to in a previous post, The Boondock's pulling aside the veil and reveling in the Black Superpublic is all sorts of awesomeness.
Tonight's episode--Stinkmeaner 3: The Hateocracy--is rich with these moments--as well as with some fun Easter eggs for those folk whom are part of the cultural narrative that is ghetto nerdness.
Here are a few of the bits of goodness (both obvious and subtle) that I picked up on as Grandpa and family faced off against The Hateocracy:
1. The introduction of The Hateocracy was a wink to such revenge/crime noir movies as No Country for Old Men; Fargo; and A History of Violence.
2. Pretty obvious: The Hateocracy was comprised of Fred G. Sanford, Aunt Esther, and J.J. Walker of Good Times fame. Perhaps McGruder has been reading Donald Bogle's classic book Toms, Coons, Mulattoes, Mammies, and Bucks?
3. The opening dream is a restaging of 28 Weeks Later.
4. A second Fargo reference--the secretary at Huey and Riley's school sounds suspiciously like Marge Olmstead-Gunderson, the pregnant Sheriff played by Frances McDormand in that Coen brothers classic.
5. In another synthetic/improvisational moment that is simultaneously a reference to Kill Bill, as well as the iconic Master of the Flying Guillotine, the weapon used by Fred Sanford's doppelganger is the same as that of the titular villain in the latter film.
6. Pretty obvious: Grand Master Bushido Brown is one part Jim Kelly and one part Bruce Lee in Enter the Dragon.
7. Here is an Easter egg I could not fully identify. Was the musical cue playing during Riley and Huey's fight with The Hateocracy from The Kid with the Golden Arm? Or was it an acknowledgment of 5 Chinese Superninjas? One-Armed Boxer? Or 5 Fingers of Death? One, all, or neither? Help me out.
8. In what is perhaps the smartest hidden gem in Stinkmeaner 3: The Hateocracy, McGruder's detailing of "nigga moments" and "nigga synthesis" is a pretty clear restatement of Robert Putnam's detailing of bridging and bonding social capital in his seminal book Bowling Alone.
9. The concluding dialogue between The Freemans and The Hateocracy is the finest comment on the soft, liberal, "we are all victims," sociological explanations for crime among the ign't, ghetto underclasses I have seen in many a years: Some folks just belong in jail...no elaborate explanations necessary. As one of my colleagues once said, "if the prison industrial complex was real, we would all be in jail." Brilliant and pithy.
10. Crabs in a barrel and Black folks. Priceless...and so very true.
What other Easter eggs did I miss? What should be added to the list?
By the way, next week's episode on the trials and triumphs of the one and only Latarian Milton is going to be amazing.


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...it turns out I have a dupe for this. The very limited edition Ulta-exclusive Essie colour from years ago - Plumski. Plumski happens to be one of my favourite colours of all time (it was the first polish I blogged about here on PoP!) and I'm always very choosy about when I use it, so I'm very pleased to have a readily available dupe. If you've always wanted Plumski, Bahama Mama is your girl!
What is your favourite plum polish?
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August Kundt
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August Adolf Eduard Eberhard Kundt (18 November 1839 – 21 May 1894) was a German physicist.
This article about a physicist is a stub. You can help Wikiquote by expanding it. |
- A physicist must be able to saw with a file and to file with a saw.
- advising Heinrich Kayser to favor experimental physics above mathematical training, as quoted in the biographical memoir of Heinrich Kayser. Biographical memoirs of fellows of the Royal Society. Royal Society. 1955. p. 135.


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There are a couple of big differences between Fiverr and Upwork. For starters, Fiverr is a website where individuals or businesses post their projects for freelancers to bid on. They do not publish the bids, but they also don't require payment for it. Instead, you just bid on projects that fit your qualifications and then choose which projects you would like to bid on.
Then there are two sites like Fiverr: Fiverr Guru and Fiverr Elite. While the two of these are used for freelance jobs, Fiverr Guru is more popular and is more focused on larger companies. The only issue with Fiverr Pro is that you have to be an affiliate to make any money out of it. This means you have to cover Fiverr's fees for using their service.
Fiverr Elite is also another popular site, but it is a whole lot more focused on freelancing. This is because they also offer large numbers of jobs for freelancers to bid on. The problem with this website is that it is extremely competitive. This means that while some people are making good money with it, many others aren't.
On the other hand, Fiverr Elite has a very easy interface. The cause of this is they must spend more time on developing it than Fiverr Pro. This isn't to say that Fiverr Elite is bad. It's just that their focus is much more on their smaller clients. With that being said, you will find more jobs posted on Fiverr Elite compared to Fiverr Pro.
So, what does this mean for Fiverr Pro? Personally, I prefer Fiverr Pro, since it is really easy to use and it offers more variety for its own customers. However, if you're looking for work, then you should try Fiverr Elite first before jumping in. I am pretty sure you'll find the difference worth the few extra bucks it costs you.
Another thing to consider when deciding which freelancing company to use is how simple or difficult the site is to navigate. A whole lot of freelance webmasters have complaints about how hard Fiverr and Upwork are to use. I feel these are two very different websites.
Among the best things about Fiverr, which makes it so appealing to the majority of freelancers, is their webmaster's interface is extremely clean and easy to navigate. While you will have to use it so as to use the website, it's still relatively easy to comprehend. Most Fiverr jobs are fairly brief and you can actually bid on them in under 5 minutes.
Upwork, on the other hand, is more user friendly but can be very tough to use. If you want to run quickly, then it can be very confusing. That is why I prefer Fiverr Elite over Fiverr Pro because you can move through their pages very quickly and easily.
When using a website that's both simple and easy to navigate, it is a good idea to create your profile as professional as you can. After all, the goal here is to have as many customers as possible. If you aren't careful, your profile will take away from your ability to get jobs. So, be as professional as you can.
Another thing you can do to make your profile look just a little bit more professional is to make sure that you have the ideal picture. of yourself. You might think that this seems like common sense, but many men and women don't make the change. And still have a terrible profile.
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Researching the Law of the Vatican City State
By Stephen Young & Alison Shea
Stephen Young is a research librarian at the Judge Kathryn J. DuFour Law Library at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. Young has written a number of articles and book chapters on legal research, particularly as it relates to the law of the United Kingdom.
Alison Shea is a reference librarian at Leo T. Kissam Memorial Library at Fordham University School of Law in New York City. Shea obtained her J.D. and M.L.S. at The Catholic University of America.
This guide is an edited version of an article previously published at 99 Law Library Journal 589 (2007).
November 2007
Read the Update!
Table of Contents
1. The Vatican City in a Nutshell
3. The Government and Legal System of the Vatican City State
4. The Vatican in International Relations
5. Survey Articles, Official Publications, & Additional Resources
1. The Vatican City in a Nutshell
The Vatican City State (VCS), an enclave of Rome and a sovereign monarchical-sacerdotal state comprising slightly less than nine hundred individuals, presents a difficult challenge for the legal researcher wishing to separate the affairs of the city state from those of the Catholic Church. The VCS is a distinct legal jurisdiction, but the inexorable intertwining of the Church—in the form of the Holy See—with the VCS only serves to obfuscate the jurisdictional boundaries that lie between church and city state.
This article will explore the resources used in researching the laws of the VCS. The article begins by describing the founding of the city state in 1929 and analyzing the documents that comprise its constitution. This is followed by a description of the sources of law, the branches of government, and the treatment of the VCS in international law. The article concludes with a short bibliographic essay. Although the structure and governance of the Catholic Church is inevitably linked to the VCS through the Holy See, the focus of this article will be on the temporal aspects of the jurisdiction. As such, the Church laws embodied in canon law will only be discussed as they relate to the operations of the city state.
2. Sources of law
A. Lateran Treaty
The VCS came into existence as a sovereign nation in 1929 with the signing of the Lateran Treaty between the Holy See and the Kingdom of Italy. The signing effectively ended the "Roman Question," the decades old tension between the Catholic Church and the nation of Italy. Prior to the treaty, the relationship between the Church and the country was governed by the Law of Papal Guarantees, an Italian law that allowed the Pope a certain amount of autonomy within the borders of Italy.
The Lateran Treaty consisted of three separate documents spread over twenty-seven articles and four annexes: an agreement acknowledging the Vatican as an independent state, also known as the Treaty of Conciliation; a concordat on church state relations between the city state and Italy; and a financial convention liquidating the financial claims of the Holy See against Italy. In signing the treaty, Italy ceded 108.7 acres of Rome to the Holy See, thus creating the world's smallest sovereign nation. At the signing, Pope Pius XI was represented by Cardinal Pietro Gasparri, papal secretary of state, while King Emanuel III was represented by Benito Mussolini, prime minister of Italy. The Lateran Treaty was incorporated into the Italian Constitution sixteen years later in 1947.
Following a lengthy deliberative process, the Lateran Treaty was substantially amended in 1984 with the signing of a concordat between the Holy See and the Republic of Italy. Although the status of the Vatican as a sovereign state was unaffected by the concordat, the document served to establish the independence of the Italian state from the Holy See, and thereby from the Catholic Church. The concordat was signed on February 18, 1984, and came into force on June 3, 1985.
B. The Constitutional Laws
On the same day that the Lateran Treaty was signed, the VCS adopted a constitution in the form of six constitutional (or fundamental) laws: Fundamental Law of the City of the Vatican; Law of the Source of Laws; Law on the Rights of Citizenship and Sojourn; Law on Administrative Organization; Law on Economic, Commercial, and Professional Organization; and Law of Public Security. Under the second of these laws, the sources of VCS law were comprised of the Codex Iuris Canonici (Canon Law Code), and "[t]he laws promulgated for the City of the Vatican by the Sovereign Pontiff or by any other authority delegated by him, as well as the regulations lawfully issued by the competent authority." Article 3 of this law also allowed for the use of Italian law as well as provincial and municipal Roman law when they did not conflict with canon law, the rules of the Lateran Treaty (and, later, the 1984 Concordat), or divine law.
Much of the Law of the Sources of the Law is devoted to synthesizing these three sources into a unified set of laws for the city state. Certain parts of Italian law are specifically mentioned in various articles of this law. These include the Italian Penal Code, Code of Penal Procedure, Civil Code, Code of Civil Procedure, and various national and local laws relating to public works, transportation, telecommunications, and health and sanitation.
The constitutional laws were extensively revised in 2000 when an ad hoc legal commission was established by Pope John Paul II. The commission was charged with updating the Fundamental Law of the City of the Vatican so as to reflect modifications that had been made to the VCS's legal system since 1929. The preamble to the new law describes the Pope as having "taken note of the need to give a systematic and organic form to the changes introduced by successive stages into the legal system of Vatican City State." The new law, which took effect on February 22, 2001, is primarily devoted to prescribing the powers and duties of the VCS's branches of government. From the perspective of the legal researcher, the new law more clearly delineates between the powers delegated to the legislative branch and those delegated to the executive branch. The civil judicial system remained largely unaffected by the new Fundamental Law, due in large part to recent reforms. In addition to the articles outlining the responsibilities of the various branches of government, there are articles devoted to topics such as security, labor disputes, amnesties and pardons, and the state flag.
C. Laws of the Supreme Pontiff
The VCS is a unique entity in that the state's monarch is also the spiritual leader of the Roman Catholic Church throughout the world. As the elected absolute temporal monarch of the state, the Pope has full legislative, executive, and judicial authority over the jurisdiction. The Pope delegates most of this authority to a variety of organs within the Vatican City, all of whose members may be appointed or removed at the discretion of the Pope. The powers and duties of these various organs are described in detail later in this article.
In the absence of the Pope, as for instance following the death of Pope John Paul II on April 2, 2005, and the election of his successor, Pope Benedict XVI on April 19, 2005, the state is under the authority of the Sacred College of Cardinals. This body consists of all the cardinals in the Roman Catholic Church. Although it has the authority to administer and oversee the operations of the VCS, its actions during this time are reviewable by the incoming Pope.
Laws of the Supreme Pontiff, either directly or through the delegated powers of one of the organs of the state, can take a variety of forms, including acts and regulations for the VCS, apostolic constitutions, and conventions and agreements with other states.
D. The Code of Canon Law
Often referred to by its Latin name, Codex Iuris Canonici, the Code of Canon Law is the codified representation of church theology in legal language. According to Pope John Paul II, the Code of Canon Law is "an expression of pontifical authority and therefore is invested with a primatial character." He further stated that the Code is "the Church's principal legislative document founded on the juridical-legislative heritage of revelation and tradition . . . an indispensable instrument to ensure order both in individual and social life, and also in the Church's activity."
The Code of Canon Law is incorporated into the legal system of the VCS by the 1929 Law of the Sources of the Law, one of the six constitutional laws of 1929. Article 11 of the Second Law specifically outlines areas that are regulated solely by canon law. These include marriage, prescription of ecclesiastical property, and gifts and legacies upon death.
E. Italian Law
Under article 3 of the Law of the Sources of the Law, provision is made for the supplementary application of the "laws promulgated by the Kingdom of Italy." Article 3 also calls for the application of "the general regulations and local regulations of the province and government of Rome." Although secondary to the laws of the Supreme Pontiff and the Code of Canon Law, much of the work conducted by the judicial organs of the VCS is done through the application of Italian law. However, the constitutional laws take great care to ensure that Italian law is not applied in instances where it might conflict with pontifical or canon law.
Although a discussion of the Italian legal system is outside the scope of this article, it is still necessary to understand the relationship between the two legal systems. Not only has VCS law incorporated Italian law and adopted the same legal structure, it also permits Italian courts to prosecute certain criminal acts committed in the city state.
3. The Government and Legal System of the Vatican City State
The Holy See is a religious entity that does not occupy a temporal location; therefore, the VCS provides it with the territorial sovereignty necessary to guarantee it's ability to operate as the juridical equivalent of other states. Consequently, the Holy See is the legal personality of the VCS which enters into treaties and sends and receives diplomatic representatives. While it is natural to assume that normal conventions of governmental structure apply to the structure of the VCS, it is important to note the differences and to isolate the activities of the VCS as a temporal body from the secular activities of the Holy See. This section examines the domestic legal system of the VCS and the branches of the city state's government. It should be noted that the structure of the VCS system is not based on separation of the legislative, executive, and judicial powers of the governmental body, but for the purposes of this article it will be broken down into those components.
A. Legislative Matters
The legislative responsibilities granted to the Pope are delegated to the Pontifical Commission. The Pontifical Commission is composed of seven cardinals appointed by the Pope for a five-year term. The commission can seek the advice of the "Consulta," a group of experts appointed by the Pope on any legislative matter, if further information on a topic is required.
The legislation of the VCS is comprised of the laws and regulations of the State of the Vatican City, the Code of Canon Law, the Code of Civil Procedure, the apostolic constitutions, the Lateran Treaty and the conventions with other foreign states. As noted earlier, where these laws and regulations do not cover certain instances, the Vatican has recourse to Italian laws, to provincial regulations and to the municipal rules of the city of Rome.
B. Executive Matters
Although the VCS is the last remaining absolute monarchy in Europe, the Pope is officially elected by the College of Cardinals under section 33 of the Pope's 1996 Apostolic Constitution, Universi Dominici Gregis (On the Vacancy of the Apostolic See and the Election of the Roman Pontiff). However, the Pope generally delegates his powers as absolute monarch to a governing commission composed of a cardinal-president and other cardinals. The executive power is exercised by the president of the Pontifical Commission with the assistance of a secretary-general and a deputy secretary-general. The president of the commission can enact decrees for the implementation of legal provisions and regulations and, in times of urgent necessity, enact decrees that have the force of law if they are confirmed by the commission within ninety days. Although the Pontifical Swiss Guard is not governed by the VCS, the president of the commission has recourse to the guard if needed, in addition to the security forces of the VCS.
The day-to-day functions of the Vatican City are attended to by the president of the Governatorate of the Vatican City, a position comparable in status to the mayor of an Italian city. The president is responsible for the administration of the museums; the maintenance of the Apostolic Palace, the official residence of the Pope in the Vatican City, and other buildings, except St. Peter's Basilica; and the management of such facilities as the post office, the gardens and nurseries, and the grocery store.
C. Judicial Matters
Following the creation of the VCS in 1929, the court system of the Vatican very closely resembled that of the canon law system, and many of the judges from the canon law courts served a dual function as jurists on the Vatican courts. As with many aspects of the VCS, there was little separation between the Holy See and the temporal government during the early years of the city state. The VCS's court system has been reorganized three times since its inception, the last time in response to the motu proprio, Quo Civium Iura ("How the Rights of Citizens"), issued by Pope John Paul II on November 21, 1987. This apostolic letter preceded, by a few days, the law that created a more temporally independent structure based primarily on the Italian judicial system.
The judicial system of the VCS is organized as follows: a sole judge (Giudice Unico) presiding over a court of limited jurisdiction; a three-judge Tribunal (Tribunale); a four-member Court of Appeals (Corte d'Appello); and, finally, the Supreme Court of Appeals (Corte di Cassazione). It is important to distinguish these judicial organs from those of the Roman Curia, which is the administrative arm of the Holy See. Cases from temporal VCS courts are not generally reported, but a listing of the types of cases tried before each of the courts is published in L'Attivita della Santa Sede, the annual yearbook.
Beginning at the lowest level, the Giudice Unico is responsible for such matters as small claims, traffic tickets, and validation of marriages. The judge, in accordance with city state law, must be a citizen of the VCS, and must also serve simultaneously as a judge on the other courts.
Although technically a court of general jurisdiction, it should be noted that the Tribunale does not handle as many cases as the Giudice Unico. The three judges that comprise this second level court are appointed by the Pope, and they are able to hear both civil and penal matters; however, most criminal cases are transferred to Italy and prosecuted by the Italian government, as authorized by the Lateran Treaty.
The composition of the third level of the VCS's judiciary again showcases the dependence of the VCS on the Holy See: most of the judges on the Corte d'Appello are also judges on the Roman Rota which is responsible for governing the ecclesiastical side of the house. Both the president and the three other judges nominated by the pope serve a five-year term; they are responsible for only a few cases per year. The main focus of their duty is threefold: providing discipline for the Vatican's small group of lawyers, hearing appeals from the VCS's Disciplinary Commission, and handling employment issues from the Office of Work of the Apostolic See.
From the perspective of a common law jurisdiction that strongly adheres to the doctrine of the separation of church and state, it is interesting to examine a modern day state in which a high ranking church official serves on its supreme court. This is the case in the Corte di Cassazione, where the president is also the prefect of the Apostolic Signatura, the highest canon law court in the Catholic Church. The two other judges who serve on the VCS's highest court are also cardinals and members of the Apostolic Signatura. The Corte di Cassazione is primarily responsible for hearing appeals from the Corte d'Appellano and has original jurisdiction over those penal matters against cardinals and bishops which the Pope does not handle personally.
The VCS does not have its own dedicated body of lawyers designated to the temporal courts; instead, it relies on canon lawyers. To practice before the temporal courts, lawyers must meet three requirements: first, they must appear on an official list which the tribunal maintains; second, they must be members of the Order of Rotal Lawyers; and third, they must have a degree in civil law.
D. Financial Matters
The financial aspects of the VCS have been described as mysterious. Despite the notoriety that has on occasions defined the finances of the Vatican, there is still little known about exactly how much wealth the Vatican possesses and what form this wealth takes.
The VCS's budget is maintained by the Prefecture for Economic Affairs of the Holy See, which also manages the fiscal affairs of the Roman Curia. Vatican citizens are not subject to Italian taxes on their income, and the Vatican State pays neither taxes nor assessments to the Italian or Roman governments. Most of the daily functions are paid with a budget that consists of profits from the museum and post office, as well as Peter's Pence.
The customs rules of the VCS are based on article 20 of the Lateran Treaty which exempts it from all European Community duties and taxes. The small amount of goods originating in the VCS and exported to Italy is exempt from duty and subject to a preferential arrangement. The VCS has a special position with relation to imports and exports that allows goods to be carried into the Vatican from Italy free of payment of any customs charges. This has been a common source of contention between the Vatican and Italian officials.
The VCS is entitled to use the Euro as its official currency. The VCS had relied on the Italian lira as its form of currency until Italy signed onto the Maastricht Treaty establishing a plan for a single European currency. In recognition of the Vatican's reliance on the currency of Italy, and despite its nonmember status, the European Union agreed to let the VCS use the new currency provided arrangements were made with Italy. The new arrangement with Italy, amended by the European Commission in 2003, entitles the VCS to issue Euro coins for a maximum annual face value of EUR 1,000,000.
There is only one bank operating in the VCS, the Instituto per le Opere di Religione, which also exists as the Central Bank of the VCS. It should be noted, however, that despite the existence of a central bank, the VCS is not a member of the International Monetary Fund, and there have been no examinations by international organizations of the VCS's banking, economic, and financial systems. Nor does the VCS have direct access to the major payment clearing systems of the Euro area. There does appear to be some concern regarding money laundering in the VCS, since the VCS has no commercial financial sector to which normal anti-money laundering rules apply.
4. The Vatican in International Relations
To be considered a "state" under international law, the Montevideo Convention requires that an international personality have a defined territory, a permanent population, a government, and the capacity to enter into relations with other States. Many of the leading commentators in the field have often questioned whether the VCS really does qualify as a state, since its constituent elements are highly abnormal or reduced to a bare minimum. Further controversy exists over whether the VCS and the Holy See are actually two separate international personalities.
The Holy See participates actively in international organizations and has membership or observer status in organizations such as the United Nations, Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, International Atomic Energy Agency, Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Commission, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, World Intellectual Property Organization, and World Trade Organization. It is interesting to note that the Vatican City State is the official member of those organizations in which the Holy See cannot maintain membership for reasons of its existence solely as a legal personality and not a temporal body. On its Web site, the Press Office of the Holy See delineates such organizations as those in which the Holy See maintains the membership "in the name and on behalf of the Vatican City State."
The Holy See has one of the largest and oldest diplomatic representations in the world, maintaining diplomatic relations with 175 countries. Seventy-one countries have resident embassies to the Holy See, including the European Union and the United States.
5. Survey Articles, Official Publications, & Additional Resources
A. Constitutional Sources
From the researcher's perspective, the legal system of the VCS is best approached by examining the documents that established the nation and formed the constitutional basis for the world's smallest nation state. The most useful work for this purpose is Amos Peaslee's Constitutions of Nations (2d ed. 1956), which provides a short summary of the nation's legal composition, the text of the Lateran Treaty, extracts from the accompanying 1929 Concordat, the complete text of the six constitutional laws of 1929, and a short bibliography.
The "Vatican City" section in Constitutions of Dependencies and Territories (Philip Raworth ed., 2002) should be consulted for English-language versions of the 2001 Fundamental Law and the 1984 Concordat between the Holy See and the Italian Republic. It should be noted that since this the VCS is treated as a "special sovereignty" in this source, there is no entry for it or the Holy See in Constitutions of the Countries of the World: A Series of Updated Texts, Constitutional Chronologies, and Annotated Bibliographies (Albert P. Blaustein & Gisbert H. Flanz eds., 1971)..
B. Survey Articles
A number of short survey articles exist that can provide the researcher with a basic overview of the city state's legal system. The most useful of these is Jorri Duursma's forty-five page chapter on "The State of the Vatican City" in Fragmentation and the International Relations of Micro-States (1996). It provides an excellent overview of the history and status of the VCS. Particular attention is paid to the international status of the city state and the extent to which it has achieved independence from Italy.
Also recommended, albeit far more concise, is Robert Shelledy's "Vatican" in Legal Systems of the World. This succinct entry provides an historical account of the development of the legal system, together with a description of the legal concepts that govern the nation and an accurate depiction of the current structure of the legal system. Less useful, due to its incomplete and often confusing description of the VCS, is the entry in Modern Legal Systems Cyclopedia (Kenneth R. Redden ed., 1993 revision).
A very recent addition to the list of survey articles on the VCS is "Vatican" in Vincenzo Buonomo's Encyclopedia of World Constitutions (Gerhard Robbers ed., 2007). This six-page entry provides a good overview of the legal structure of the VCS, together with a short list of primary and secondary sources consulted.
A short and now dated entry entitled "Vatican" is included in International Encyclopedia of Comparative Law: National Reports (Victor Knapp ed., 1997). The entry, actually completed in December 1972 by Judge Astuti, provides a very brief overview of the constitutional system of the city state, together with the sources and contents of law and a selective bibliography of Italian language resources.
A less obvious source that provides a modest amount of background information is L. Barbarito's entry for the "Vatican City" in New Catholic Encyclopedia (2d ed. 2003). There is less focus on the legal system than in the other items mentioned, but the information concerning the rise of the modern state and the operation of the city state's government is still very serviceable.
Legal researchers who traditionally rely on Foreign Law by Reynolds and Flores for an overview of a foreign jurisdiction and an accompanying legal bibliography will be disappointed. Regrettably, they cover neither the VCS nor the Holy See, and there is also no mention of the city state in the section describing the legal system of the Republic of Italy.
C. Official Vatican Publications
Since 1908, the Vatican Publishing House (Libreria Editrice Vaticana) has been responsible for publishing Acta Apostolicae Sedis (AAS), together with its supplements, on a periodic basis. AAS constitutes the official bulletin or gazette for the Holy See; it contains papal encyclicals, apostolic constitutions, and other forms of pontifical acts. Since this is a publication of the Holy See much of what is published in AAS is not directly related to the governing of the VCS; however it is the official, Latin language source for pontifical acts and canon laws. Legislation pertaining just to the governance of the VCS is usually published in the supplement to the AAS.
The Vatican Publishing House is also responsible for publishing the daily newspaper of the VCS, L'Osservatore Romano (The Roman Observer). The daily edition is published in Italian; however since 1968 a weekly, English language compendium edition has also been published. Although the foci of the newspaper are the daily activities of the Pope and news from within the Church, the newspaper also reports items of interest regarding the governing of the VCS.
D. Monographs and Articles
The focus of the overwhelming majority of legal commentary on the VCS has revolved around the jurisdiction's status in international law. The most complete treatment of this area of law is Hyginus Cardinale's The Holy See and the International Order (1976). This 557-page work provides an extensive discussion of how the Holy See, the Church, and the VCS are united in international representation under the agency of the Holy See. Additionally, Cardinale's text provides annexes to both the 1929 Concordat and the 1929 Fundamental Laws.
Other articles include:
· Kurt Martens, The Position of the Holy See and Vatican City State in International Relations, 83 U. Det. Mercy L. Rev. 729 (2006)
· Noel Dias, Roman Catholic Church and International Law, 13 Sri Lanka L.J. 107 (2001)
· Robert John Araujo, The International Personality and Sovereignty of the Holy See, 50 Cath. U. L. Rev. 291 (2001)
· Matthew N. Bathon, Note, The Atypical Status of the Holy See, 34 Vand. J. Transnat'l L. 597 (2001)
· Yasmin Abdullah, Note, The Holy See at United Nations Conferences: State or Church? 96 Colum. L. Rev. 1835 (1996)
· Pio Ciprotti, The Holy See: Its Function, Form, and Status in International Law, 8 Concilium 63 (1970)
· Robert Graham, Vatican Diplomacy: A Study of Church and State on the International Plane (1959)
· Josef L. Kunz, The Status of the Holy See in International Law, 46 Am. J. Int'l L. 308 (1952)
· Horace F. Cumbo, The Holy See and International Law, 2 Int'l L. Q. 603 (1949)
· Herbert Wright, The Status of the Vatican City, 38 Am. J. Int'l L. 452 (1944)
· Gordon Ireland, The State of the City of the Vatican, 27 Am. J. Int'l L. 271 (1933).
E. Internet Resources
Researchers who turn to the Internet for resources on the VCS's legal system are likely to be disappointed. The Vatican's Web site is primarily devoted to disseminating information from and about the Holy See, rather than the VCS. The few pages that are devoted to the city state include one with an Italian, German, and Portuguese translation of the 2001 fundamental law; and a page with general information on the VCS (map, state structure, citizenship, flag, transportation, phone numbers, etc.). The Vatican Web site does contain the text (in HTML, not PDF format) of selected papal documents dating back to Pope Leo XIII (1878), and it should therefore be considered a potential source for the text of apostolic constitutions and motu proprios that apply to the VCS.
Many of the traditional Internet sites consulted by researchers looking for information on foreign jurisdictions provide little information on the nation state (see e.g., Andrew Grossman, Finding the Law: The Micro-States and Small Jurisdictions of Europe) and most do a very poor job of distinguishing between the legal system of the Holy See and the legal system of the VCS (see e.g., Jurist, Vatican City). Due to the incomplete or inconsistent quality of the information in most of the Internet guides, it is difficult at this time to recommend the Internet as a resource for researching the VCS.


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G-POWER refines the interior of the BMW 760i with exclusive accessories such as an ergonomically shaped sports steering wheel, a speedometer in G-POWER design and fine carbon rails for the side casing, central console and dashboard. Further customer wishes for exclusive interiors can always be fulfilled by the G-POWER manufactory with all possible leather- and ultra-suede colours.
The G-POWER 760i STORM is only available in a strictly limited small edition of only 10 automobiles world-wide from the G-POWER manufactory in Autenzell.


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TBS canceling comic George Lopez's talk show
LOS ANGELES (AP) — George Lopez, who surrendered his TBS time slot to Conan O'Brien and then saw ratings for "Lopez Tonight" slide, got a cancelation notice Wednesday. Lopez's Thursday show at midnight will be the final one, the cable network said in a statement.
"TBS has reached the difficult decision not to order a third season of 'Lopez Tonight,'" the network said, adding that it was proud to have worked with the "immensely talented comedian and entertainer."
TBS declined further comment. The decision was based not only on ratings but also the cost of the show, according to a person familiar with the production, who spoke on condition of anonymity because TBS hadn't authorized public comment.
A call to Lopez's representatives was not immediately returned.
The comic gave up his 11 p.m. ET time slot to make room for O'Brien, who joined TBS after leaving NBC's "Tonight" over a time-slot dispute that ended up reinstating Jay Leno as "Tonight" host.
The plan for TBS was to have a one-two punch of late-night shows that would particularly appeal to young viewers, but the results have been unimpressive and the cancelation unsurprising, said media analyst Brad Adgate of Horizon Media.
"The only positive was a young median age" of about 32, Adgate said, which is part of the younger adult audience favored by advertisers.
Lopez was among the rare minority entertainers to get a shot at a late-night show, with Arsenio Hall and Wanda Sykes also in the group. Late-night hosts are uniformly white and male, including O'Brien, Leno, David Letterman, Craig Ferguson, Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel.
Neither Lopez nor O'Brien has been covered in ratings glory since TBS made its bold move to snare the former broadcast network star.
Lopez's total viewership dropped 40 percent in its second year, from an average of 910,000 nightly viewers at 11 p.m. ET to 543,000 at midnight. In August, the audience has dropped to 391,000.
"Conan" has been drawing slightly more than 1 million viewers for the season, just 13 percent higher than Lopez did in his first year, Adgate said, citing Nielsen Co. figures.
For the first part of August, "Conan" is averaging 709,000 nightly viewers. During its debut month, November 2010, O'Brien's show had about 2 million nightly viewers.
In comparison, "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart" is getting nearly 1.3 million viewers for Comedy Central at 11 p.m. ET, with "The Colbert Show" following it up at 11:30 ET with an average 982,000 viewers.


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Create a Website Account - Manage notification subscriptions, save form progress and more.
An attorney is not required, but it is recommended that you seek legal counsel if you are unsure about any aspect of the procedures.
By law the court staff may not give legal advice, but staff may give forms and explain procedures.
Only lawyers may give legal advice. The Probate staff members are not are prohibited by law from giving legal advice (MCL 700.1211). However, they may explain procedure.
Legal advice is a recommendation as to what particular action an individual should take given a set of certain circumstances. Only lawyers may give legal advice. Procedure is the step-by-step process an individual follows after it is determined which action is best for the particular circumstances.
The attorney may not sign an Acceptance of Appointment, Inventory, Accounts, Receipts of Distributive Share, Sworn Statements, or Bonds (MCR 5.114).


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Possible Duplicate:
On forms, is inline placeholder text better than a label outside each field?
I am making a simple registration form for my website. I'm in doubt about how to label inputs: should I use text (i.e. Username: next to the input box), the placeholder attribute (like the "search" word inside the search bar), or both?
For a graphical example of what I mean, see this jsFiddle.
HTML5 note: I'm assuming the user has a browser with support for HTML5. The fallback content will only use labels.


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'Won't Back Down' Takes A Too-Easy Way Out
Won't Back Down
- Director: Daniel Barnz
- Genre: Drama
- Running time: 121 minutes
Rated PG for thematic elements and language
With: Viola Davis, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Holly Hunter
Watch Clips
'Start A School'
'Hands Off'
'A Question'
Among the many remedies we have flung at our foundering inner-city schools is a force we have reckoned without: Maggie Gyllenhaal, raising hell in the feistily titled Won't Back Down as a harried single mother eking out a living selling cars in a proletarian city, nobly represented under lowering skies by Pittsburgh.
Gyllenhaal's Jamie Fitzpatrick comes kitted out in the uniform expressly designed in Hollywood for plucky working-class mom-heroines. She dresses like a mid-level slattern and has a back-talking mouth on her, but she's all heart and unbeatable American optimism, not to mention a rabble-rousing tiger when it comes to the welfare of her daughter, Malia (Emily Alyn Lind), who's dyslexic.
So much of a tiger, indeed, that despite her slender means, Jamie has managed to disgorge $60 on a school backpack. This would be folly on any income, but the bag quickly takes on prime plot value as a symbolic stick with which to beat the Underperforming, Furtively Texting Teacher (Nancy Bach) who's selling Malia and her entire out-of-control class short. Hovering protectively behind that bad egg is the real villain of the piece, the teachers union. But more about that down the line, after the movie has paid its dues to some good teachers and some good union comrades who go against the grain.
Joining forces with Nona (the great Viola Davis), a disheartened educator at Malia's failing public school who also has a learning-disabled son (Dante Brown), Jamie handpicks a few burned-out but salvageable teachers. Going door to door, Jamie and Nona recruit an army of madder-than-hell parents to take on a bound-and-gagged principal, the board of education and the dreaded union, the better to take over the school and do things right.
Won't Back Down comes accessorized with a regulation blooming romance for Jamie, a sorely tested marriage for Nona, and much obstructionist red tape and special-interest wrangling to be overcome through individual initiative and people power.
All cynicism aside, the movie taps a rich vein of accumulated public frustration at the continued failure of government to provide decent access to public schools for all American children. Aside from religion itself, no subject lends itself more to arm-waving entrenched positions than education. And perhaps a movie aimed at a mainstream audience can't help but distill the discussion into culture-war sound bites.
For all its strenuous feints at fair play, though, Won't Back Down is something less honorable — a propaganda piece with blame on its mind. Directed with reasonable competence by Daniel Barnz from a speechifying screenplay he co-wrote with Brin Hill, the movie is funded by Walden Media, a company owned by conservative mogul Philip Anschutz, who advocates creationist curricula in schools. Walden also co-produced the controversial pro-charter school documentary Waiting for Superman, so the outfit is not without axes to grind.
That movie's love affair with the charter movement seems to have cooled somewhat in Won't Back Down, which features a lottery scene complete with nail-biting parents vying for a handful of vacancies at the excellent Rosa Parks Charter School. The fact that many charter schools have failed to produce better-educated kids, however, is not where this strenuously populist scenario is headed.
Nor is the movie interested in the vexed question of what makes a good teacher, though Jamie acquires a dishy boyfriend, Michael (Oscar Isaac), the school's talented music teacher as well as the owner of a shapely posterior, which she admires from the lower end of a classroom ladder.
Michael is a staunch union man, but he's soon won over, and before you know it he's got a pack of hitherto lethargic teachers up and running in a line dance that recharges their classroom vitality. In other triumphal if wildly improbable news, the head of the teachers union (Holly Hunter) and the retiring chair of the school board (Marianne Jean-Baptiste) roll over like felled skittles and join the cause.
Who wouldn't, faced with a supercute warrior mom like Jamie, a teacher dripping with dignified gravitas like Nona, and a herd of had-it-with-this-crap parents wearing "Parentrooper" T-shirts? Only the union hack (Ned Eisenberg) remains unimpressed, declaiming long and loud that his mission is to protect teachers, while pupils can go hang.
In fact, it's nuance and reason that fall by the wayside amid the sloganeering rhetoric of Won't Back Down. Like most large institutions with interests to protect, the unions could use some reforms, especially when it comes to shielding bad teachers from scrutiny and discipline.
But if you were to wave a magic wand that replaced unions and bureaucrats with a rainbow coalition of local parents and educators coming together to create the kind of school they want, the result would be chaos, not to mention an end to the tattered remains of our common culture.
"We need to start somewhere," comes a stern, God-like voice in Won't Back Down, waving off all talk about the role of poverty and inequality in under-resourced schools and underachieving pupils. We do indeed. Just not here.


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Infosphere:General disclaimer
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Futurama, all characters, insignia and related stuff are property of Twentieth Century Fox and are used without permission or affiliation.
All images are used without permission, but we're just fans, so be nice.
The text, being original, is available under the Creative Commons license at the bottom of the page. But as we don't own the images, we can't offer them under the same license (see Infosphere:Copyrights for more details). We're afraid we can't sanction use of these images on other websites.
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- Trans Pecos
- High Plains/Panhandle
- Cross Timbers
- Hill Country
- Post Oak Savannah
- Pineywoods
- Oak Prairie
- South Texas Plains
Wildlife Division District Map
Big Game
Mule Deer
From 1978 through 2001 the Trans Pecos mule deer population has fluctuated from lows of fewer than 100,000 to a high of 221,220. Fluctuations in mule deer populations are normal but to manage mule deer well, we must understand the factors causing the fluctuations.
Mule deer populations are calculated by Texas Parks and Wildlife biologists through 945 miles of aerial transects and 393 miles of spotlight surveys.
Factors affecting mule deer populations
Drought, habitat degradation, reproduction, water distribution, and predator density are factors affecting mule deer numbers. When attempting to increase mule deer numbers concentrating on one factor and ignoring the others will generate few results
Wet years such as 1984, 1985 and 1986 produced good numbers of deer and surveys show an all time high number of deer in the Trans Pecos in 1986 of 221,952. The all time low of 99,790 in 2000 was preceded by seven years of drought.
Little grass is produced in droughty periods. This lack of grass production means less ground cover to provide mule deer does crucial hiding places for their fawns. Lack of fawning cover (grasses such as little bluestem, silver bluestem, side oats and other gramas) causes the fawns to be more visible and therefore more susceptible to predation.
Forbs are dependent upon soil moisture and are nearly non-existent during a drought. Since forbs are the most highly preferred and nutritious part of a deer�s diet, lack of forb production means lower deer herd nutrition.
Drought may be the stimulus of habitat degradation, poor reproduction, and poor water distribution but mismanagement of the range is amplified during droughty periods.
Habitat Degradation
Droughty episodes not only provide less plant production, making fewer preferred plant species available to deer, but plants that do grow tend to be of poor forage quality. During these times mule deer are surviving on a less than desirable nutritional plane.
Poor quality forage affects herd health. Poor reproduction over the past nine years has lead to a decrease in the mule deer population. To conceive and successfully raise fawns does need good nutrition year-round. They need to be in good shape prior to breeding to facilitate conception, they must have good nutrition throughout gestation to give birth to good birth weight fawns, and have good nutrition throughout lactation to raise healthy fawns
Poor quality forage not only leads to lack of recruitment into the population but also loss of adult animals in the herd. Low quality forage leads to nutritional stress and reduces a deer's ability to ward off parasites and disease. An unhealthy animal is more susceptible to predation.
Drought is not the only cause of habitat degradation. Mismanagement of the range, overgrazing and subsequent brush encroachment, is another cause and is amplified during a drought.
Over utilization of the range has contributed to brush encroachment over an alarmingly large portion of the Trans Pecos. Desert mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus crooki) have evolved to survive in prolonged dry spells; however, this deer species, unlike white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), prefers more open rangeland. Brush encroachment makes mule deer more susceptible to predators as they depend upon their eyesight and their ability to quickly move away from danger.
Common sense dictates that without recruitment the population will dwindle. The past ten years have seen few years with a 60% fawn survival and more years with 40% or less. This too has confounding factors. It can be difficult to determine if poor nutrition or poor fawning cover has led to low fawn survival.
The Trans Pecos is known for being cow/calf country. Figures from the United States National Agriculture Statistic Service show West Texas ranchers in a cow/calf operation to have steadily de-stocked from 1978 through 1986, increasing cattle numbers again after the drought broke and again de-stocking over time to the present. This mirrors the fluctuation of mule deer numbers in West Texas and draws attention to the natural de-stocking of mule deer on the range.
Lack of grass production to support livestock grazing has led to poor water distribution across mule deer range. Not only does the lack of infiltration and therefore ground water availability in springs and seeps affect water availability to deer and other wildlife but as cattle are removed from pastures water troughs and windmills are often not maintained and an integral part of mule deer habitat, water, is missing. Remember the importance of water to wildlife and maintain water availability.
Prior to the succession of cow/calf operations in the Trans Pecos sheep were the main livestock class. At that time predator control was intensively performed on a large scale. The change of livestock class to primarily cow/calf operations has led to less predator control being carried out on a large-scale basis and that, which is being done, being done at a more local level. This had led to higher coyote and mountain lion numbers in most of the Trans Pecos.
Predator control at the Black Gap Wildlife Management Area increased fawn survival and numbers of adult mule deer bucks in the herd. Other research indicates that low mule deer populations can be kept low or suppressed by high predator populations.
Cantu, R., and C. Richardson. 1997. Mule deer management in Texas. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, PWD BK W7100-303. Austin, Tex. 22pp.
Lawrence, R.K., R. A. Relyea, S. Demarais, and R.S. Lutz. 1994. Population dynamics and habitat preferences of desert mule deer in the Trans-Pecos. Fed. Aid Proj. Texas W-127-R/Job 94 Final Report., Austin, Tex.
Pittman, M. T., and T. L. Bone. 1987. Mule deer reproduction. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Fed. Aid Proj. Texas W-109-R-10/Job 51 Final Report, Austin, Tex. 13pp


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Charlie Sheen: Ashton's Going Down With the Ship
Charlie Sheen: Ashton's Going Down With the Ship
Charlie Sheen delivered the ultimate back-handed compliment to Ashton Kutcher, telling TMZ he's talented but the show will tank.
Charlie tells TMZ, "Kutcher is a sweetheart and a brilliant comedic performer ... Oh wait, so am I!!"
Charlie continues, taking a shot at the show, saying, "Enjoy the show America. Enjoy seeing a 2.0 in the demo every Monday, WB." Essentially, Charlie is saying the age group that supported him is going to tune out.
Charlie adds, "Enjoy planet Chuck, Ashton. There is no air, laughter, loyalty, or love there." Of course, Charlie is referring to his nemesis, "Men" creator and Executive Producer Chuck Lorre.


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Holiday Beauty Gifts- On Sale!
Monday, November 26th, 2012By Glinda
I think we can all pretty much agree that buying someone a gift on sale simply means that we are trying to buy more for them for the money. In that spirit, here are some nifty beauty gifts that can be bought separately and put together in a makeup bag, or maybe one nice, big gift. Either way, it's a gift, and if they don't like it they can give it back.
Sephora by OPI It's Real 18K Top Coat. Lots of great reviews for this top coat, a lot of luxe in a little bottle!
You can never go wrong with a pretty little compact. This one is from Tarina Tarantino.
Adorable leather ponytail wraps.
Just give up the pretense of gift-buying and get them for yourself, already.
Go ahead and take the plunge for the friend you know will love these but hasn't yet bought for herself.
You gotta love a palette that has almost everything. The colors look pretty compatible for many skin tones, but that is a very personal factor that must be taken into account before purchasing. Of course.
Let's face it, it's an extremely low-tech Clarisonic. At least you'll never have to buy batteries for it? But the reviews are overall pretty great.


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After much wrangling and trial and error; I finally figured out how to migrate my old Thunderbird e-mails from Windows XP over to Vista.
It was confusing; and I probably made it harder than it had to be; and I am definitely not the computer genius. But I did get it done; and I am happy as there were a lot of e-mails that are important to me, such as the instruictions for ftp'ing to my Website and things of that nature.
Life would not have been over if I had not been successful in migrating the e-mail over; but it is nice that I still have them for reference now. I think I'm going to take some time to go through all of them and print the more important ones out.
It is also working out quite nicely using my old hard drive as an external one on the new computer. It's a nice repository for old documents, doc files and pdf files; such as all my old K9YA Telegraph issues (which I have also burned to CD for posterity).
73 de Larry W2LJ


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Requirements: ANDROID: 2.2 and up
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doubleTwist Alarm Clock is hands-down the most beautiful alarm app in the Google Play Store, following doubleTwist's history of simple, intuitive, highly functional, gorgeous apps, as seen with the doubleTwist Player media app.
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• Choose from built-in alarm sounds and ringtones or wake up to your favorite song or playlist (requires free doubleTwist Player app).
• Set adjustable fade in time for alarm volume.
• View time pending until next scheduled alarm.
• Set snooze duration and alarm volume.
• Swiss Clock live wallpaper.
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US Congress, Obama angry over Snowden's Russia asylum
WASHINGTON (AP) — Russia's decision to grant asylum to Edward Snowden has upset the Obama administration and enraged Congress.
However, if the United States wasn't prepared to scrap its maddeningly difficult relationship with Russia because of missile defense, human rights or Syria's civil war, it's unlikely the 30-year-old National Security Agency leaker alone will sour ties irrevocably between two powers that both have moved past their half-century Cold War for global supremacy.
After Snowden left the transit zone of Moscow's airport and officially entered Russia on Thursday, the White House declared itself "extremely disappointed" and suggested President Barack Obama would reconsider his autumn summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
American lawmakers threatened worse, from demanding Russia forfeit its right to host a summit of the world's biggest economies to questioning whether Washington and Moscow can now cooperate at all. Some in Congress have spoken of boycotting next year's Winter Olympics in the southern Russian city of Sochi.
"Russia's action today is a disgrace and a deliberate effort to embarrass the United States. It is a slap in the face of all Americans," Republican Sen. John McCain said. "Now is the time to fundamentally rethink our relationship with Putin's Russia."
Retaliation against Russia comes at a cost, however. Putin has proven over more than a decade in power that he'll respond to perceived offenses from the United States, whether in the form of a missile defense network in Europe or U.S. support for pro-democracy demonstrations in Ukraine, Georgia and other neighboring nations. And for all the tough talk in Washington, the U.S. knows it needs Putin to promote a range of American national security interests and has tried to temper its reaction to Putin's provocations.
Without the Kremlin's help, the U.S. would have a harder time containing terrorist groups in the South Caucasus, ensuring supply routes to U.S. troops in Afghanistan and preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons. And it would have zero chance of persuading Syrian President Bashar Assad to join rebels in peace talks to end a war that has killed 100,000 people, includes competing claims of massacres and chemical weapons use, and has pulled Washington and Moscow onto opposing sides.
The administration's first reaction to Snowden's asylum was condemnatory but cautious.
"We are extremely disappointed that the Russian government would take this step despite our very clear and lawful requests in public and private that Mr. Snowden be expelled and returned to the United States," White House press secretary Jay Carney said.
The U.S. has demanded that Russia send Snowden home to face prosecution for espionage over his leaks that revealed widespread U.S. telephone and Internet surveillance. For more than a month, Russian authorities left him stranded at the airport after he flew there from Hong Kong, unwilling to grant him temporary residence or travel documents that he could use without a valid U.S. passport to travel on to Latin America. The saga ended Thursday, when Snowden was granted a one-year stay.
However, even Putin has seemed intent on limiting the fallout. Before the decision, he said asylum would be contingent on Snowden refraining from leaking any more materials — suggesting that even as the Russian leader considered knowingly provoking the United States, he didn't want to harbor a fugitive who would seek to flaunt his safe status beyond the reach of American law enforcement.
Paul Saunders, executive director of the conservative Center for National Interest think tank, said the administration erred in exerting worldwide pressure to prevent Snowden from finding a new home.
"The administration backed Moscow into a corner, thinking that would press them to give in," he said. "In fact, it just made them harden their position."
Speaking to reporters, Carney declined to outline what consequences Russia might face. He suggested only that Obama was reconsidering his upcoming tete-a-tete with Putin, which was supposed to focus on the Syrian civil war and righting a relationship with Russia that the U.S. president already tried to "reset" once after taking office in 2009. Canceling the meeting would be a surprise, however, considering that Obama was willing to meet despite Russia's ban on U.S. adoptions, its crackdown on pro-democracy groups and gay rights organizations, and its continued military and diplomatic support for the Assad regime.
Carney said Moscow's decision undermined U.S.-Russian law enforcement cooperation that had improved since two ethnic Chechens were blamed for the Boston Marathon bombings. American officials will reach out to their Russian counterparts, Carney said, but he pointedly refused to detail any diplomatic repercussions for Moscow.
Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer spelled out one, calling on Obama to recommend moving the G-20 summit of world leaders in St. Petersburg on Sept. 5-6.
"Russia has stabbed us in the back, and each day that Mr. Snowden is allowed to roam free is another twist of the knife," Schumer said.
The Senate already had been working on sanctions against any country prepared to help Snowden avoid extradition to the United States. The measure introduced last week by Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., demands that the State Department coordinate with lawmakers on setting penalties against nations offering Snowden asylum. The Senate panel backed Graham's proposal, without objections.
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Here is my first alternative cover for Prisoner of the Mind volume one. I know it's been a little while since my last post but as know, the more time an artist has to draw and paint, the less time they have to socialize. This new alternate cover edition will be released in the first of 2016. I have been working on Prisoner of the Mind volume two and getting ready to release the 5th installment of Prisoner of the Mind on Comixology. I also have my second title coming in 2016 called Grass People. After the holidays, I'll have try to catch up on all of my posts.
Have a happy holiday and an awesome new year!